Judge requests social services input in child abuse case

A Westminster man who, along with his wife, is accused of abusing and neglecting their six children, told a judge Tuesday they became "overwhelmed" by their situation.

Paul Antonio Trapani, 54, and Melissa Arlene Trapani, 44, both of the unit block of Landau Drive, were indicted Thursday on 60 total counts of various child abuse, neglect and assault offenses, according to electronic court files. They were arrested Friday.

The charges stem from a lengthy and complex investigation that followed a November 2014 check of the Trapani's home, according to Senior Assistant State's Attorney Amy Blank Ocampo. In that check, the Department of Social Services and animal control officers from the Humane Society of Carroll County were sent to the defendants' home, where they found six children living in what was described as "dangerous and unsanitary conditions," according to Ocampo.

"We would do absolutely nothing to harm our children," Paul Trapani said Tuesday.

With help from social services and the foster system, Trapani said he and his wife have been able to see that they had problems, and they are working to alleviate those problems and move on.

"We love our children tremendously, and we got into a situation where we were overwhelmed," he said.

Defense attorney Thomas Hickman said social services visited the home and removed the children in November. Since then, both parents have been working with social services to reunite their family and have contact with the four older children each weekend.

Paul Trapani is the sole income-earner for the household with a salary of $180,000 per year, according to Hickman, and needs to get back to work to pay for legal fees and child support obligations stemming from the investigation and criminal charges.

Hickman also said his client has no prior criminal record and is not a flight risk.

"It's ridiculous, frankly, to hold him," he said.

Judge Michael M. Galloway requested a meeting with the attorneys for the defendants as well as a representative from social services and a social services attorney to be scheduled this week. After the meeting, Galloway said he will be inclined to set bail for the Trapanis if it appears they are not a risk to the community or their children and that they will attend all scheduled court hearings.

"What I'm not hearing, and I think it's pretty important here, is the opinion of the Department of Social Services," Galloway said Tuesday.

The children were removed from the home in November after Social Services investigators observed dirt, rotting food, and animal urine and feces throughout the residence, according to Ocampo.

The two youngest were initially taken to Carroll Hospital Center, then placed in a therapeutic foster home through the Kennedy Krieger Institute, according to court records. The four eldest have remained together in a foster home. Their ages have not been released.

The two youngest children, ages 5 and 7, were found naked and locked in a small room. Upon entering the room, Social Services workers found feces on the walls and door, and the youngest had a diaper duct taped to his body, which had not been changed for some time, she said.

"They do not know how to act like children," Ocampo said Tuesday.

At Carroll Hospital Center, the two youngest children were found to be unresponsive to basic instructions and did not recognize their names when addressed. The 5-year-old boy has been diagnosed with "developmental delay due to neglect," according to Ocampo. The 7-year-old girl was seen acting in a manner described as "animal-like," and her younger brother "imitated much of the female child's behavior," she said.

Both Paul and Melissa Trapani were also charged with multiple counts of animal cruelty Monday after an animal control investigation, according to electronic court files. Investigators found 11 dogs in the home in November that were kept in unclean cages, and the conditions had persisted as of Friday.

Hickman told Galloway that Melissa Trapani had an "affinity" for rescue dogs, which made care for the children difficult.

Galloway said the described treatment of the animals was "egregious" and that Melissa Trapani may have "rescued" the dogs but animal control then had to rescue them from her.

Galloway said it appears the conditions that lead to social services removing the children had been ongoing.